Baseball Games

It may be America's game, but no one seems to know how or when baseball really started. Theories abound, myths proliferate, but reliable information has been in short supply - until now, when Baseball before We Knew It brings fresh new evidence of baseball's origins into play. David Block looks into the early history of the game and of the 150-year-old debate about its beginnings.

Bret Boone made history in 1992 as the first third-generation major leaguer in baseball history. A five-foot-ten firecracker who was spurned by scouts for his small size, supposed lack of power, and temper tantrums (one scout called him a "helmet-throwing terror"), Bret didn't care about family legacy; he wanted to make his own way. He did just that, building a 14-year career that included three all-star appearances, four Gold Gloves, a bout with alcoholism, and the ignominy of being traded for the infamous "player to be named later."

It’s one hell of a sledgehammer to the chest when your baseball career comes to an end. It’s like you finally realize that baseball never loved you back. All the sleepless nights, the hours spent at the gym trying to stay fit, the conditioning, the training, the mental preparation, the holidays missed, the birthdays passed, the memories you didn’t get to make with your family … all for what? It’s not like baseball lost any sleep over you. She didn’t stay awake for nights on end, trying to figure out how to make you a better player. She didn’t care. Baseball’s a business.

Books 1-4 in the heartwarming and hilarious “Winning Sarah’s Heart” series for young readers. Follow Cody Greer as he faces the challenges of first love and growing up. For fans of The Wonder Years, Boy Meets World, and Freaks and Geeks. LOOKING GOOD, CODY GREER (Book 1) Cody Greer has made it. He’s finally in the sixth grade and king of the world. Or, at least, king of his school. Cody has a lot going for him but has only one thing on his mind―winning the heart of the new girl in school, Sarah Davis. But who knew that the sixth grade could be so much work? Almost immediately, ...

Baseball explores the history of organized baseball during the mid-twentieth century, examining the sport on and off the field and contextualizing its development as both sport and business. Steven P. Gietschier begins with the Great Depression, looking at how those years of economic turmoil shaped the sport and how baseball responded. Gietschier covers a then-burgeoning group of owners, players, and key figures whose stories figure prominently in baseball's past and some of whom are still prominent in its collective consciousness.

Thanks to Kate's mom, a sports reporter, cousins Mike Walsh and Kate Hopkins have tickets to the Red Sox game and All Access passes to Fenway Park. But as they're watching batting practice before the game, the lucky bat of Red Sox star slugger Big D is stolen...right in front of dozens of people. Without the bat, Big D can't seem to hit a thing. Can Kate and Mike figure out who pinched the bat before Big D and the Sox chalk up a loss? The Fenway Foul-Up includes a fun fact section about Boston's Fenway Park.

Red Sox versus Cubs. Game five. It looks like Mike and Kate are about to watch the Cubs win it all. But then someone starts messing with the team - ruining equipment, getting Cubs players in trouble, and even stirring up an old baseball curse. Now the Red Sox are coming back! Who will win the ultimate baseball trophy? And can Mike and Kate make sure it's won fair and square?

A humorous look at a man who is announcing a baseball game for the first time.

Reggie Jackson and Bob Gibson offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to understand America's pastime from their unique insider perspective.

Ryan Bingham's job as a Career Transition Counselor - he fires people - has kept him airborne for years. Although he has come to despise his line of work, he has come to love the culture of what he calls "Airworld" - finding contentment within pressurized cabins, anonymous hotel rooms, and a wardrobe of wrinkle-free slacks.

Choose a Side: A Beyond the Field Blueprint for Baseball Success is an essential guide for players, parents, and coaches who want to navigate the baseball journey with purpose and clarity. Instead of following the traditional paths littered with costly showcases and quick-fix programs, this audiobook reveals a smarter, athlete-centered way to develop and succeed.

Intangiball tracks the progress of the Cincinnati Reds through five years of culture change, beginning with the trades of decorated veterans Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey, Jr. It also draws liberally from such character-conscious clubs as the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, and Tampa Bay Rays.

Think big league baseball begins with the opening pitch? Think again! In this Sports Illustrated Kids book, go behind the scenes of a typical game day in professional baseball—from prepping the diamond and welcoming fans to hawking hot dogs and broadcasting from the booth.

A brief introduction to the game of baseball as intended to be played by children.

Opening Day: 50-for-50 is a baseball tribute like no other—a well-researched work of love representing a half-century of great stories and historical context linked to each of those 50 days. This emotional journey connects three cities, six stadiums, five home teams, and four generations while overcoming life events, baseball’s labor unrest, and the 33-year absence of a hometown team. Along the way, Ortman encountered five U.S. Presidents and more than 50 future Hall of Fame players, coaches, and broadcasters: from Reagan to Obama, Weaver to Torre, and hundreds more.

It's a big day for Cooper. He's finally going to his first baseball game and couldn't be more excited. His sister Sprinkles is joining him along with their best buds, the hamsters Fred and Larry. Fred and Larry are huge baseball fans and can hardly sit still with excitement as they go to the ballpark. Together, the four friends dive into the sights and sounds of the game. The hamsters cheer enthusiastically from the stands while Cooper has other plans. Cooper's First Baseball Game is a fun story for young readers, full of laughter, treats, and some unexpected adventures. Join these four ...

The emotional conclusion to the Reid, Smith, and Parker families. I was a mom, a grandma, and a great-grandma to the most amazing people in the world. Of course I was biased. They were mine, and I loved every single one of them. I'd started out with one daughter, and it broke my heart the day I watched her walk away from the one man I knew she was meant to be with. She went on to have a beautiful little boy with a complete loser, and just when I began to think she would never find the happiness she truly deserved, she found it, in the very same man she'd left all those years before. I knew ...

A philosophical musing on sports and play, this wholly inspiring and utterly charming reissue of Bart Giamatti's long-out-of-print final book, Take Time for Paradise, puts baseball in the context of American life and leisure. Giamatti begins with the conviction that our use of free time tells us something about who we are. He explores the concepts of leisure, American-style. And in baseball, the quintessential American game, he finds its ultimate expression.

Some of baseball's rebels are widely recognized, but most of them are either little known or known primarily for their baseball achievements—not their political views and activism. Many players, owners, reporters, and other activists challenged both the baseball establishment and society's status quo. Baseball Rebels tells stories of baseball's reformers and radicals who were influenced by, and in turn influenced, America's broader political and social protest movements, making the game—and society—better along the way.

After a decade starring for the St. Louis Cardinals, Albert Pujols is already compared with names in the highest reaches of baseball’s pantheon: Ruth, Gehrig, Aaron, Mays. Slugging his way toward the Hall of Fame, Pujols has raised the game’s standard for greatness almost beyond any statistical measure.